Carbon/carbon heat collection storage and dissipation system

ABSTRACT

A carbon/carbon system is provided for collecting, storing and/or dissipating heat in a building structure. Carbon/carbon panels are used to collect heat generated by solar energy and other heating sources. The panels are interconnected either directly to each other or using heat transfer conduits. The heat collected by the carbon/carbon panels is transferred to heat storage areas or to areas for immediate use using heat transfer conduits.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the priority of copending applicationSer. No. 60/230,636 filed on Sep. 7, 2000 having the same title as thepresent application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention is directed to a carbon/carbon heatcollection, storage and dissipation system for commercial, residentialand industrial applications. Specifically, this invention is directed toan invention which uses carbon/carbon panels to collect solar or heatenergy and deliver it to storage areas or other areas for immediate use.

[0003] Current systems using solar energy for heating commercial,residential and industrial buildings utilize complex designs, andcomplex means for transferring the energy from the collection source toa storage area. Moreover, these systems require that solar panels bealways directly exposed to the sun. A system is thereby needed that willbe able to collect solar energy or heat energy generated by the sun evenif not directly exposed to the sun and direct such energy to storageareas or to areas for immediate use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] A carbon/carbon system is provided for collecting, storing,and/or dissipating heat in a building structure. Carbon/carbon panelsare stored in areas in the building for collecting heat energy. Thesepanels are directly exposed to the sun or embedded into the walls orother structural members of the building such as the roof. The panelscollect the heat energy generated by the sun and transmit it to storageareas such as concrete slabs or water stored in deposits or other panelssuch as metallic or carbon/carbon panels. These storage areas will beinsulated for storing the collected heat energy. The collected heat isalso directed to areas for immediate use such as to spreader plateslocated throughout the building for heating the building.

[0005] The carbon/carbon panels are connected directly to each other orinterconnected using heat transfer conduits which are bundles ofcarbonized carbon fibers. Other types of heat transfer conduits, forexample metal cables, are used to interconnect the panels. The conduitsare used to transfer the heat from the panels to the heat storage areasor to areas for immediate use.

[0006] The panels are also used in place of insulation in the walls ofthe building. During the summer, such panels will absorb the heat energyexternal to the building and transfer it to a storage source or to areasfor immediate use. Similarly, during winter when the building is heated,the heat generated inside the building is absorbed by the carbon/carbonpanels as it tries to escape to the outside through the walls. Again thecollected heat is transferred either to energy storage areas or to areasfor immediate use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a top view of a unidirectional carbon/carbon panelhaving an interface conduit extending from opposite edges of the panel.

[0008]FIG. 2 is a top view of a carbon/carbon panel formed from woventape layers and having an interface conduit extending from its warp andwelt directions.

[0009]FIG. 3 is a top view of a heat transfer conduit connected to anedge of a carbon/carbon panel.

[0010]FIG. 4 is a top view of two carbon/carbon panels connected to eachother along their edges.

[0011]FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a carbon/carbon heat collection,storage and dissipation system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A carbon/carbon system is provided for collecting, storing and/ordissipating heat in a building structure. The system uses carbon/carbonpanels to collect, store and/or dissipate the heat. The panels areconnected to each other or are interconnected with heat transferconduits or pipes to form the system.

[0013] Carbon/carbon panels are produced by numerous methods. In onemethod, panels are formed by laying up layers of carbon/phenolicprepregs. These prepreg layers are in tape or sheet form. The prepregsconsist of carbon fibers impregnated with a phenolic resin. The prepregsare unidirectional or in a woven form. Unidirectional prepregs areformed by impregnating fibers aligned in a single direction with a resinto form a tape or sheet. Woven prepregs consist of fibers woven to forma fabric that is then impregnated with a resin. The woven fabricsconsist of a first set of fibers woven perpendicularly with a second setof fibers forming a fabric consisting of fibers running in the warp andin the welt directions.

[0014] To form a carbon/carbon panel, the prepreg layers are laid one ontop of the other. If unidirectional prepreg tape is used, the prepregsare laid such that the fibers from all the laid layers are aligned in asingle direction. Alternatively, the layers are aligned in variousdirections. It is not uncommon for prepreg tape layers to be laid at 90°or 45° to each other. The same occurs with the woven tape. Of course,the woven tape already consists of fibers that are 90° to each other.

[0015] Once the prepreg layers are laid up to form a panel, the panel isautoclave cured, carbonized and then repeatedly re-impregnated withpitch or phenolic resin. Carbonization occurs up to five times before adesired high carbon/carbon density is achieved.

[0016] Alternatively, carbon/carbon panels are formed by producingpreforms of carbon fiber pultrusions that are then densified with carbonby either chemical vapor deposition or chemical vapor infiltration. Thisdensification process is performed until the matrix is so dense that nomore carbon is deposited on the fibers. The pultrusions for example, arecarbon fiber cloth or carbon fiber mat pultrusions.

[0017] The heat transfer conduits or pipes used to transfer heat fromthe panels are formed by bundling carbon fibers and carbonizing thebundle using chemical vapor deposition or chemical vapor infiltration. Aheat transfer conduit is a unidirectional strip, of a carbon/carbonpanel. The heat transfer conduits are made of metal or may be made fromany suitable material capable of transferring heat. For example, a heattransfer conduit can be a metallic cable.

[0018] To interface with the heat transfer conduits, the panels 10 areformed with conduits 12 extending from the panel edges 14 (FIG. 1).These conduits extending from the panels are referred to herein as the“interface conduits.” An interface conduit is typically formed bybundling together carbon fibers at the end of the panel and carbonizingthe bundle.

[0019] Because the heat absorbed by the panels travels along the panelfibers, the interface conduits extend along the direction of the fibersto provide a continuous path 20 along the fibers for the heat to travelas shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0020] If a panel is to receive as well as transfer energy, then aninterface conduit 12, 26 is formed on either end 14, 24 of the panelalong the fiber direction (FIG. 1). Similarly, if the panel consists offibers aligned in multiple directions, then interface conduits areformed along each direction.

[0021] When a carbon/carbon panel is formed using unidirectionalprepregs laid in a single direction, an interface conduit 12 is formedby bundling the ends of the fibers forming an end of the panel (FIG. 1).Preferably, the interface conduits are formed to have either circular orrectangular cross-sections. However, other cross-sectional shapes willalso suffice. If woven prepregs are used to form the panel, then theends of the fibers running along the warp direction and forming an edgeof the panel are bundled to form an interface conduit 16 along the warpdirection as shown in FIG. 2. An interface conduit 18 is formed alongthe welt direction. The laid prepregs and bundles are then autoclavecured, carbonized and repeatedly re-impregnated with pitch or phenolicresin to form the carbon/carbon panel with interfacing conduits.

[0022] An alternate way of forming a panel with interfacing conduits isto form the panel with prepreg layers (tape or woven) that do not haveresin extending all the way to the ends of the fibers. In other words,an end section of each prepreg layer is not impregnated with resin,thereby consisting of a section of non-impregnated fibers. The length ofthe non-impregnated fibers should be slightly longer than the length ofthe desired interface conduit. The layers with the non-impregnatedfiber-ends are laid to form the panel. The panel is then autoclave curedand carbonized as described above. The non-impregnated fibers are thenbundled and carbonized by either chemical vapor deposition or chemicalinfiltrations to form the interface conduit.

[0023] In another embodiment, a preform of the panel with a single ormultiple interfacing conduits is made from a carbon fiber pultrusion.The entire structure is then densified with carbon by chemical vapordeposition or chemical vapor infiltration. Alternatively, a panel withinterfacing conduits is cut out from a larger carbon/carbon panel.

[0024] If the panels are formed without interface conduits, the heattransfer conduits 28 are connected directly to the panel edges 30 alongthe fiber direction (FIG. 3). Such conduits are as wide as possible toprovide a continuous path to as many carbon fibers in the panel aspossible. In this regard, the energy that is collected by the panel isdirected along its fibers to the connected conduits. Moreover, multipleconduits are connected to a single edge of a panel for distributing theheat collected by the panel to multiple locations. The conduits areconnected to the panel using a thermally conductive adhesive or amechanical arrangement.

[0025] Instead of using conduits to interconnect the panels, the panelsare connected directly to each other. For example, two panels 32, 34 areconnected to each other along their edges 36, 38 (FIG. 4). The panelsare connected to each other using a thermally conductive adhesive or amechanical arrangement. To allow for the transfer of energy from onepanel to the other, the panels are connected such the fiber ends 40 ofone panel, interface with the fiber ends 42 of the other panel. In thisregard, heat traveling along the fibers of the first panel can continuetraveling along the fibers in the second panel.

[0026] To further enhance a carbon/carbon panel's absorption of heatgenerated by the sun, carbon fibers 17 are attached to at least an edgeof the carbon-carbon panel (FIG. 5). These fibers are attached with athermally conductive adhesive. The fibers act as flexible conduits forabsorbing the heat generated by the sun.

[0027] Once formed, the carbon/carbon panels are positioned in areas ofa building structure where they are able to collect heat energy. Forexample, they may be placed on the roof of the building for exposure todirect sunlight. Alternatively, they may be placed on the structure inareas of heat accumulation. For example, carbon/carbon panels 44 may beplaced on the roof 46 of building 48, underneath the roof tiles 45.

[0028] Once in position, if more than one panel is used, the panels areinterconnected using heat transfer conduits. Alternatively, the panelsare connected directly to each other. Heat transfer conduits 50 are alsoused to couple the panels to energy storage areas 52. Heat transferconduits are connected to the interface conduits extending from thepanels or directly to the panel edges using a thermally conductiveadhesive or a mechanical arrangement.

[0029] The energy storage areas 52 for example, are insulated concrete,water stored in an insulated deposit or carbon/carbon or metallic platesstored in an insulated area for later use. For example, the heated wateris later routed through the building for heating the building. Insteadof directing the collected heat energy to storage areas, the energy isdirected to the concrete foundation slab of the building or to ceramictiles within the building to immediately heat the building or to aconcrete driveway for melting the snow and ice that accumulated duringthe winter.

[0030] The energy stored is transferred from the energy storage areas 52to a single or multiple heat spreader panels 54. This is accomplishedusing one or multiple heat transfer conduits 56. The energy is alsotransferred directly from the carbon/carbon panels 44 collecting theenergy to a single or multiple heat spreader panels 54. This isaccomplished using one or multiple heat transfer conduits 58. The heatspreader panels will dissipate the energy in the areas in which they arelocated.

[0031] The heat spreader panels are also carbon/carbon panels.Carbon/carbon heat spreader panels consist of fibers having differentlengths such that the ends of individual fibers are at differentlocations along the panel. Heat transferred to such heat spreaderpanels, travels along the fibers to the fiber ends from where it is“spread” into the surrounding location.

[0032] Carbon/carbon panels 60 are also embedded in the building wallsand can be used instead of insulation. When it is hot outside, thepanels will absorb the heat energy external to the building. The heatenergy will then be transferred using heat transfer conduits or otherabutting panels to the energy storage areas for later use or to otherareas such as heat spreader panels for immediate use.

[0033] Similarly, the embedded carbon/carbon panels would absorb anyheat generated in the building and also transfer it to the energystorage areas or to areas for immediate use. For example, if thebuilding is heated in the winter, the heat generated within the buildingwill be absorbed by the panels as it tries to escape to the outsidethrough the building walls. The heat absorbed will be routed to theenergy storage areas or to other areas for immediate heating. Thus, bypositioning the panels within or on the building walls, the panels willprevent the heat from entering the building in the summer and the heatfrom escaping from the building in the winter.

[0034] The present system is also formed in modules. For example, amodule of multiple carbon/carbon panels with integral conduits is formedfor interfacing with other modules or panels and conduits or forinterfacing with the energy storage locations. Moreover, the entiresystem is formed as a single unit. Modifications to the invention asdisclosed in the preferred embodiment disclosed herein may be madewithout departing from the scope and intent of the present invention asdefined in the following claims.

1. A building heat collection system comprising: a carbon/carbon panelon a building surface for absorbing heat; and an energy storage mediumlocated in the building coupled to the panel for storing the heat energycollected by the panel.
 2. A building heat collection system as definedin claim 1 wherein a conduit is used for coupling the panel to thestorage medium.
 3. A building heat collection system as defined in claim2 wherein the conduit comprises a plurality of carbonized carbon fibers.4. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 2 wherein theconduit is a carbon/carbon strip.
 5. A building heat collection systemas defined in claim 1 wherein the panel comprises a plurality of carbonfibers attached to a panel edge.
 6. A building heat collection system asdefined in claim 1 wherein the energy storage medium is a concrete slab.7. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 1 wherein theenergy storage medium is water stored in a water deposit.
 8. A buildingheat collection system as defined in claim 1 wherein the energy storagemedium comprises ceramic tiles.
 9. A building heat collection system asdefined in claim 1 wherein the energy storage medium is a metallicsheet.
 10. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 1wherein a plurality of carbon/carbon panels is used for absorbing heat.11. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 10 wherein atleast two of said plurality of panels are interconnected.
 12. A buildingheat collection system as defined in claim 10 wherein at least one ofthe carbon/carbon panel is located on a roof of the building.
 13. Abuilding heat collection system as defined in claim 10 wherein at leastone of the carbon/carbon panel is located on a wall of the building. 14.A building heat collection system as defined in claim 10 wherein atleast one of the carbon/carbon panel is embedded in a wall of thebuilding.
 15. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 1wherein a heat spreader panel is coupled to the energy storage mediumfor dissipating energy stored at the heat storage medium.
 16. A buildingheat collection system as defined in claim 10 wherein a heat spreaderpanel is coupled to the carbon/carbon panel for dissipating energycollected by the panel.
 17. A building heat collection system as definedin claim 10 wherein the heat spreader panel is a carbon/carbon panel.18. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 10 wherein thecarbon/carbon panel is coupled to surfaces of the building for heatingsuch surfaces.
 19. A building heat collection system as defined in claim1 wherein the energy storage medium is coupled to surfaces of thebuilding for heating such surfaces.
 20. A building heat collectionsystem comprising: a plurality of carbon/carbon panels positioned on theroof and walls of the building for absorbing heat; and an energy storagemedium located in the building coupled to the panels for storing theheat energy collected by the panels.
 21. A building heat collectionsystem as defined in claim 20 wherein at least one the panels absorbsheat generated outside of the building.
 22. A building heat collectionsystem as defined in claim 20 wherein at least one of the panels has aplurality of carbon fibers attached to at least one of its edges.
 23. Abuilding heat collection system as defined in claim 20 wherein at leastone of the panels absorbs heat generated inside the building.
 24. Abuilding heat collection system as defined in claim 20 wherein at leasttwo of the panels are coupled to each other using heat transferconduits.
 25. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 20wherein at least two of the panels are coupled to the heat storagemedium.
 26. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 20wherein a heat spreader is coupled to a carbon/carbon panel.
 27. Abuilding heat collection system as defined in claim 20 wherein a heatspreader is coupled to the storage medium.
 28. A building heatcollection system as defined in claim 27 wherein the heat spreader is acarbon/carbon panel.
 29. A building heat collection system as defined inclaim 20 wherein the plurality of carbon/carbon panels is coupled tomeans internal or external of the building for dissipating the collectedheat.
 30. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 20wherein the energy storage medium is coupled to means internal orexternal to the building for dissipating the stored heat.
 31. A buildingheat collection system comprising: a carbon/carbon panel on a buildingsurface for absorbing heat, and a heat spreader coupled to the panel fordissipating the heat collected by the panel.
 32. A building heatcollection system as defined in claim 31 wherein the heat spreader is acarbon/carbon panel.
 33. A building heat collection system as defined inclaim 31 wherein an energy storage medium is coupled to thecarbon/carbon panel used for absorbing heat.
 34. A building heatcollection system as defined in claim 31 wherein an energy storagemedium is coupled to the heat spreader.
 35. A building heat collectionsystem comprising: a carbon/carbon panel on a building surface forabsorbing heat, and receiving means associated with the building forreceiving and dissipating the collected heat.
 36. A building heatcollection system as defined in claim 35 wherein the receiving means isa heat spreader panel.
 37. A building heat collection system as definedin claim 35 wherein the receiving means is a concrete slab.
 38. Abuilding heat collection system as defined in claim 35 wherein thereceiving means is water located in a water deposit.
 39. A building heatcollection system as defined in claim 35 wherein the receiving means isa metallic panel.
 40. A building heat collection system as defined inclaim 35 wherein the receiving means is a driveway of the building. 41.A building heat collection system as defined in claim 35 wherein thereceiving means is a carbon/carbon panel.
 42. A building heat collectionsystem as defined in claim 35 wherein an energy storage means is coupledto the carbon/carbon panel for receiving at least some of the collectedheat.
 43. A building heat collection system as defined in claim 35wherein an energy storage means is coupled to the heat receiving means.